Apply for and manage your grant

You can find funding opportunities and information on applying for and managing your public transportation grant using our grants-at-a-glance table. This table identifies the name of the grant, application opening date and due dates, award date, and application method.

Apply for a public transportation grant

Below you'll find information for prospective applicants for state and federal grants administered by WSDOT's Public Transportation Division. Grants are funded on a biennial (two-year) basis, though some grant programs may fund projects on a four-year cycle. The following types of organizations qualify for at least some of WSDOT's public transportation grants: cities, counties, nonprofit agencies, private operators, senior centers, special districts (such as schools and ports), state agencies, transit agencies, and tribes.

Grant-funded projects include:

Services such as transit; paratransit; transportation for the elderly, people with disabilities, and rural communities; commute trip reduction; and transit-pass programs.
Vehicles and equipment such as new buses, rideshare vehicles, and supporting equipment.
Infrastructure such as transit centers, park and ride lots, transit-signal-priority systems, and transit lanes.

The Grants Management System is a one-stop hub for public transportation grant applications, invoicing, and more. If the application method shown in the grants-at-a-glance table is in the Grants Management System, you will need to register for system access. Contact the help desk at PTDGMSSupport@wsdot.wa.gov or 360-705-7711 for more information on registering for or navigating the Grants Management System.

Grant opportunities

We currently do not have any grant opportunities open for application. We will post notice of funding opportunities here and on the grant pages listed in the table below when they become available. Applications will only be available between the notice of funding date and the application due date. The application submittal method varies by grant and could be completed using a form or the Grants Management System, depending on the type of grant. More information is available by contacting PTDGrants@wsdot.wa.gov or your community liaison.

Sign up for grant updates

To stay informed about WSDOT public transportation grants, you can register for updates by selecting “Public Transportation Grants” under “Funding” in the GovDelivery menu.

Grants at a glance

This table provides an overview of key dates and application methods for the grants currently administered by WSDOT's Public Transportation Division. We will update this table when grant programs are updated, added or completed.

Grant program	Application open date	Application due date	Approximate award date	Application method
Commute Trip Reduction 2023-2027	Not applicable	Not applicable	June (odd years)*	Not applicable (formula distribution)
Consolidated 2023-2025 (includes Paratransit/Special Needs, and Rural Mobility competitive grants)	July 21, 2022	Oct. 27, 2022	May 2023	Grants Management System
Discretionary – Bus and Bus Facilities – 5339(b) federal fiscal year 2022	March 7, 2022	May 31, 2022	No later than Aug. 15, 2022	Coordination with WSDOT
Discretionary – Low or No Emissions – 5339(c) federal fiscal year 2022	March 7, 2022	May 31, 2022	No later than Aug. 15, 2022	Coordination with WSDOT
Green Transportation Capital 2023-2025	Aug. 2, 2022	Sept. 29, 2022	May-June 2023	Grants Management System
Paratransit/Special Needs 2023-2025 - formula	Not applicable	Not applicable	July 2023	Not applicable (formula distribution)
Public Transit Rideshare 2023-2025	February 2023	March 2023	June 2023	Grants Management System
Regional Mobility 2023-2025	May 12, 2022	June 28, 2022	June 2023	Grants Management System
Rural Mobility 2023-2024 - formula	Not applicable	Not applicable	Summer (annually)*	Not applicable (formula distribution)
Rural Transportation Assistance 2023-2025	January 2023	February 2023	April 2023	Form
State Buses and Bus Facilities 2023-2025	Nov. 1, 2022	Jan. 10, 2023	May 2023	Grants Management System
Transit Coordination 2022-2023	May 18, 2022	June 9, 2022	June 24, 2022	Grants Management System
Transit Support Grant 2021-2023	Not applicable	Not applicable	October 2022	Not applicable (formula distribution)
Tribal Transit Mobility 2023-2025**	July 21, 2022	Oct. 27, 2022	May 2023	Grants Management System
Zero-emissions Access Program 2021-2023	March 31, 2022	May 10, 2022	June 2022	Form

* Award date for state funds depends on the passage of the transportation budget.

**Tribal transit funds will be awarded through the Consolidated Grant process for the 2023-2025 biennium. Interested tribal applicants must apply through the Consolidated Grant program.

For more information, contact your community liaison or Evan Olsen at evan.olsen@wsdot.wa.gov or 360-705-6929.

Manage your public transportation grant

We provide the following guidebooks, and resources to help your grant administrator manage your grants, and maintain good standing with the Federal Transit Administration, and WSDOT.

Grant management guidebooks

Trainings

Consolidated Grant management training

Grants Management System training

Procurement resources

Procurement forms and examples below are available on request from PTDprocurement@wsdot.wa.gov.

Pre-award audit checklist
Factory visit inspection checklist
Factory trip expense worksheet
Acceptance letter sample
Buy America audit report sample
Post-delivery Buy America and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards certification
Post-delivery purchaser requirements certification
Road test form
Visual inspection form
Department of Enterprise Services purchase authorization request
Department of Enterprise Services purchase request form
Department of Enterprise Services purchase request instructions
Policy, plan and performance measurement templates and examples

Policy templates

Templates and examples below are available on request from your community liaison or the WSDOT project manager listed on your agreement:

Administrative
ADA policy
Comment card
Comment/complaint policy
Drug and alcohol testing program policy
Equal employment opportunity policy
Ethics policy
Harassment prevention policy
Title VI policy/plan
Unfair competition policy
Volunteer driver policy
Financial
Disadvantaged business enterprise policy/plan
Cost allocation plan
In-kind valuation plan
Capital
Asset management plan
Vehicle maintenance plan
Regional Mobility Grant performance measurement
Performance measurement plan: template
Performance measurement reporting cover letter: example
Performance measurement plan: basic example
Performance measurement plan: moderate example
Performance measurement plan: complex example

Other forms, documents and guidance

We have more resources to manage your grant, such as information on specific grant agreements, customized reporting and invoices, and documents for grantees on an as-needed basis. For assistance, contact your community liaison, or the WSDOT project manager listed on your agreement.

Asset management

We provide resources and sample forms to public transportation agencies to aid in the development of their transit asset management plans.

A template for transit asset condition reporting, lifecycle analysis or inspection checklists and worksheets is available from Hiep Tran at hiep.tran@wsdot.wa.gov or 360-705-7806.

Title VI tools

LEP Language App Map

The LEP Language App Map is maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice and can be used to identify limited English proficiency (LEP) populations by county.

See page 6 of the instructions to use the tool.

EJSCREEN

EJSCREEN is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and can be used to identify various demographic variables, including race.

Pair the “Report Widget” feature (see instructions page 31), and the Get 2014-2018 ACS report link (see instructions page 45) to create a report of the selected area with U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data in PDF format.

Washington Tracking Network – Information by Location

The Washington Tracking Network’s Information by Location tool is maintained by the Washington State Department of Health, and can be used to identify populations of persons with disabilities.

Drug and alcohol compliance rules

These U.S. Department of Transportation rules apply to consolidated grants with federal funding and may be used as best practice for other transportation providers.

Federal Transit Administration tools and resources includes implementation guidelines, best practices, policy builder, drug awareness video, forms, and checklists
Federal Transit Administration drug and alcohol legislation and regulations, and publications
Federal Transit Administration technical assistance
U.S. Department of Transportation annual minimum drug and alcohol current random testing rates
Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance – subscription to ODAPC Listserv Notices for updates to drug and alcohol rules and resources
American Public Transportation Association
Community Transportation Association of America
National Rural Transit Assistance Program

Code of Federal Regulations Title 49 – Transportation

Procedures for testing 49 CFR Part 40
Implementation 49 CFR Part 655

Substance abuse service providers

More information on managing your grant

For more information, contact your community liaison or Nhan Nguyen at nhan.nguyen@wsdot.wa.gov or 360-705-6996.

Winter driving tips

Traction tires are a special type of tire

manufactured with at least 1/8 of an inch tread. Traction tires are usually marked with a mountain/snowflake symbol, the letters M+S or “All Season.”

Carry chains, practice before leaving

Requiring chains keeps traffic moving during storms rather than closing a pass or roadway.

Prep your car. Fill up your gas tank,

pack jumper cables, ice scraper, warm clothing, snacks and water.